Chapter 73: Contract of Flame

Manar had arrived.

The most important element for completing the blast furnace was finally here.

“Manar! How have you been?”

“Yes! I finished the waterways and came straight here! There are still some finishing touches left, but Ron said Myuron could handle it from here.”

“Well done.”

As expected, Ron was capable. He must have sent Manar immediately after hearing what I was doing in the Holy City. He likely figured that as a spiritist, she would be of some help.

“Hehe… Can I learn it now?”

“No. Not yet. I need you to help me with one thing first.”

“What is it?”

Looking at her now, with her eyes wide and sparkling, she looked quite cute. Almost child-like.

‘She would get along quite well with my Older Sister.’

She was in her twenties, but she had a certain purity about her. It wasn’t that she was stupid. A stupid person wouldn’t know how to apply or use their own strength. She was simply pure. And people like her…

‘They become terrifying if you don’t keep your promises.’

They valued the basics above all else.

“Is it just for this time?”

“Of course. I’ll have to teach you eventually for the sake of the future anyway.”

“You mean how to handle the forces of nature?”

“Let’s call it the Auran Yeongongbeop.”

“It’s a bit different, but anyway! What do I need to do?”

“Wait just one day.”

Leaving the pouting Manar behind, I hurried to make the final preparations.

***

The next day.

I called Manar to the blast furnace. I didn’t know what had happened during the day, but…

“Sister is going to help here?”

“That’s right!”

She had even brought my Older Sister, who usually never left the training ground.

‘How on earth did she convince her?’

Perhaps pure souls just resonated with each other. My Older Sister rarely showed her true self to anyone outside the family.

While she was reckless at home, she was quite good at playing the role of a refined lady in public. It was a concept of a beautiful lady who wielded a sword. It was a fairly thick mask, yet Manar had somehow managed to pierce right through it.

‘I’ll have to ask for her secret later.’

I ignored the two of them chatting and continued with my work. I had to focus on the task at hand.

‘The final key is the spirit.’

Building a blast furnace was a technical skill. Realizing a high-level version like those on Earth could be difficult, even if one understood the concept. There was a lack of supporting technology. What could fill that gap was a miracle.

Magic, Jinbeop, and if I added spirits to the mix, wouldn’t that be more than enough to be called a miracle?

“Was she… a spiritist?”

“Didn’t Myuron tell you?”

“I haven’t had much interaction with him. I’m going to witness something rare today.”

“Watch closely. You won’t see this again anytime soon.”

I waved Polling back and drew a massive magic circle on the floor, centered around the blast furnace.

‘This is a massive pile of money. It has to succeed.’

I continuously scattered lower-grade Magic Stone powder. This powder was worth more than its weight in gold coins. I was literally spending money like water.

“……There.”

The blast furnace acted as the medium, and the Magic Stone powder served as the channel. As for the symbol to drive the magic circle…

“Manar. Go stand on one side. I need your help.”

“I’m a water spiritist, is that okay?”

“It’s fine. What matters is your affinity with nature.”

Manar would suffice. As a spiritist, her very existence possessed an affinity for nature. Just because she had a contract with a water spirit didn’t mean she became hostile toward other spirits.

That was separate from the fact that water spirits and fire spirits didn’t get along. Her natural affinity was incredibly useful for attracting spirits.

‘It would have been a struggle without Manar. I probably would have had to use some very rare materials.’

Because she was here, I could easily draw the spirit summoning circle. With the medium, the channel, and the symbol gathered, the next thing I needed was the power to drive it. That was me.

“Whew…….”

***

After a deep breath, I activated four circles and drew up a massive amount of Mana.

*Whirrrrr— Whoosh!*

The magic circle activated.

“Oh.”

“Isn’t it flashy?”

While everyone watched in awe, the magic circle functioned perfectly. The spirits, the symbols of nature in this world, were activated. The movement of the spirits that resided in and composed nature began to stir.

—*Kyaaa.*

The water spirits were the first to activate. It was due to Manar’s affinity. Next came the earth spirits.

‘That one is interesting.’

A frost spirit, its entire body composed of freezing cold, also drifted past. The wind swirled, and finally, the last one appeared.

*Flare!*

The spirit I had been waiting for approached. It was a fire spirit.

—……It has been a long time.

To think a being with a will of its own would be summoned.

This was unexpected. A spirit was nature itself. At the same time, it was a seeker exploring nature.

In a way, it was similar to a spiritist. A spirit explored the world and became one with it, growing in the process.

They gained status and eventually reached the rank of a Spirit King.

Sometimes, Mages who twisted nature did not get along with spirits. However, a contract could still be established.

‘They’re just neighbors who don’t get along very well.’

But this was different from a contract a spiritist would make, where they only had to offer affinity and spirit power as a price. This had to be continuous. Or, a contract was only possible if a special price was paid that satisfied the spirit. That was what I intended to use.

‘I thought a lower or middle-tier spirit would be summoned at best.’

If it could express its will like that, this fire spirit was at least mid-tier. Spirits could differ in power by several or even dozens of times based on a single rank.

*Fwoosh!*

“Ugh…!”

“What kind of flames are these…?”

Those nearby shrank back from the rising flames.

‘This is bad…’

The summoning itself was consuming a significant amount of Mana. The Magic Stone powder forming the circle was beginning to scatter. I had to settle this quickly.

—Was it you… No, you are the one who called me.

“Yes.”

The fire spirit was staring at me.

—’Ma Beop Sa. You must want something, right?’

“That’s right. I want a contract.”

—I have contracted with Ma Beop Sa several times. Do you know? The price for a Ma Beop Sa is always expensive.

Damn it. It was an experienced spirit. If a spirit lacked experience, it might contract easily, but that wasn’t the case here.

‘I don’t know if what I prepared will work.’

It was an unexpected variable. But I had to see it through.

“I want your power.”

—The price?

“A power that will remain even after you’ve used it.”

—Oh. Power, you say. Do you think you’re capable of providing more power than this?

*Roar!*

The flames grew more intense.

‘Hmm…’

It was a flame close to nature. Heat strong enough to melt iron ore instantly burned right in front of me. I couldn’t back down here.

“It’s possible. I believe I can give you a power that no one else can.”

—How? Your Mana is outstanding… but at the same time, it is insignificant.

The spirit looked me straight in the eye. The burning flames continued to grow.

*Fwoosh.*

The flames brushed past me. There was no heat. Instead, it read everything about me.

‘It used the heat.’

This was a search.

—”Hmm. There is something different about you. How fascinating. Is that the price?”

The fire spirit had read the internal energy in my Danjeon. It seemed to realize immediately that it was an energy close to the Soulforce of nature itself.

“Not all of it. I plan to provide a portion of it as it replenishes.”

—”You mean you’ll provide it like a Ma Beop Sa uses magic. Hmm… That kind of Soulforce. I’ve never experienced it before. What should I do…”

It was clearly contemplating.

‘Why is a spirit being so calculative?’

It was more calculative than Manar, who was a human spiritist. A calculative spirit. I had never heard of such a thing.

—”Fine. Even if it’s lacking right now, I’ll bet on your potential. What is my task?”

“I told you. Your power. Assist with the heat to melt the iron over there.”

—”Easy.”

It was a mid-tier spirit. It felt like the spirit’s heat alone would be enough, without even needing the magic circles and Jinbeop I had prepared.

—”I’ll make sure to melt it properly.”

“I take it you’ve done this before?”

—”Ah. With the dwarves. They are a lot who often use the gods as an excuse to take what they want.”

“……Well, that worked out then.”

I was trying to find a novice rookie, but an experienced one showed up instead.

“I look forward to working with you.”

—Likewise.

*Voom!*

The contract was established. A portion of the somewhat—no, very—calculative fire spirit settled into the blast furnace. And the other portion…

“Why are you sticking to me?”

—”I prefer to receive my payment immediately. I’ve had experiences where you Ma Beop Sa have withheld payment…”

“……Crazy.”

It had partially settled into my body.

‘What kind of spirit is this?’

It was an unexpected addition to the team. While everyone else was dazed…

“Oh! The spirit’s Soulforce is so powerful!! How did you do that?”

“……Oh, my head.”

Manar was the only one who was excited.

The mid-tier fire spirit, an unexpected variable, did its job perfectly. The special blast furnace, complete with magic circles, Jinbeop, and a spirit, began to operate.

—”Since it’s the first time, I’ll put in some effort.”

Not long after a large amount of iron ore and coal were tossed in…

*Glug.*

Glowing red molten iron began to flow downward. The molten iron flowing along the pre-prepared channels had absolutely no impurities.

‘I feel like some Mana and spirit Soulforce are embedded in it too. I never expected this. Should I research it?’

There was even a faint trace of Soulforce lingering within. The blacksmiths who had been waiting behind me watched the scene unfold.

“Ha… We barely managed to melt it, and yet it happens like this.”

“It really worked. Haha…….”

Originally, blacksmiths used the forges in each smithy to heat their iron. But with this blast furnace, the story was different.

They could use the iron produced by the furnace, or they could use the molten iron directly to begin quenching immediately.

Either way, the iron they used to have to melt down bit by bit had been created. And thanks to the spirit, it was incredibly clean and without impurities!

—”Are you satisfied?”

“How could I not be?”

I had no choice but to nod. It truly was an expert.

“Ohhh. This is insane.”

“May we start working right away? Please?”

The blacksmiths, who had been staring blankly for a long while, now had eyes gleaming with excitement. They looked ready to pick up their hammers and start working this very second.

“By all means.”

As soon as I gave them permission…

*Clang— Clang—*

“Over here!”

“Oh, I never even thought of this!”

“You are incredible, Lord!”

They sent me looks of either admiration or deep emotion and immediately set to work.

“The quality is no joke!”

“Ooooh.”

*Sizzle—*

As the quenching process repeated, the results began to pile up. To maintain the blast furnace, it would have to be run 24 hours a day. It would be grueling work, yet the blacksmiths were ecstatic.

‘I can leave it in their hands. The less skilled ones can handle the apprentices.’

I had started with confidence, but I had thought that building the blast furnace might involve a long period of trial and error.

That task had been solved in a single stroke.

To call it a blast furnace was an understatement; this place would become a large-scale steel mill and enrich the Spiritual Land!

Iron was something that had countless uses once you had it.

There was a reason people said iron was as important as salt for a territory’s development! Of course, it wasn’t free.

—”The price?”

“Wait. I’ll draw up some internal energy for you. Three years’ worth should do, right?”

—”It matches what we agreed on before, so it should be fine.”

*Fwoosh!*

In exchange, a rather calculative spirit had attached itself to me, but what could I do?

‘There’s no loss, so it doesn’t matter.’

The internal energy that replenished itself whenever I practiced my heart law in the morning was something I could give over and over again.

—”Ooooh!”

—”The Youngest Lord has done it again, hasn’t he?”

—”The iron production has increased because of him. It was a long-cherished project, and it turned out well.”

As my reputation grew in the territory’s Workshop Street…

“It’s already getting hot.”

Just as Polling said, time had passed, and summer had arrived.